Policeman Charged With Murder — Video Shows Him Shooting Unarmed Man 8 Times As He Was Running Away (Video)

The victim was identified as 50-year-old Walter Scott. (Screen capture from YouTube video)

By Dana Ford
A South Carolina officer has been charged with murder after a video surfaced that appears to show him shooting an unarmed man who was running away.

Michael Slager, an officer with the North Charleston Police Department, was arrested Tuesday, according to a statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED. If found guilty of murder, he could face up to life in prison or death.

The shooting took place Saturday morning after a traffic stop, SLED said. Video obtained by The New York Times shows what happened.

A black man breaks away from the white officer. Something falls, and the officer fires eight shots at the man as he runs away. The man, who appears to be unarmed, drops to the ground.

"I can tell you that as the result of that video and the bad decision made by our officer, he will be charged with murder," North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey told reporters Tuesday. "When you're wrong, you're wrong. And if you make a bad decision -- don't care if you're behind the shield or just a citizen on the street -- you have to live by that decision."